Family denies Joni Mitchell coma report

JONI Mitchell's family has denied reports that the folk legend is in a coma, and say she's expected to make a full recovery.

A statement issued on Mitchell's website today contradicted a TMZ.com report that suggested she was in a coma after being admitted on March 31.

According to the site, a court document suggested the 71-year-old singer, one of the symbols of the 1960s Woodstock generation, is "so impaired as to be incapable of being assessed".

But a statement on Mitchell's family denied this, and said she was "alert" and "has her full senses".

"Contrary to rumors circulating on the Internet today, Joni is not in a coma. Joni is still in the hospital - but she comprehends, she's alert, and she has her full senses.A full recovery is expected," the statement read.

"The document obtained by a certain media outlet simply gives her longtime friend Leslie Morris the authority - in the absence of 24-hour doctor care - to make care decisions for Joni once she leaves the hospital. As we all know, Joni is a strong-willed woman and is nowhere near giving up the fight. Please continue to keep Joni in your thoughts."

Mitchell, whose real name is Roberta Joan Anderson, is known for hits including Big Yellow Taxi, and The Circle Game, as well as her role in the 1960's music scene.

She has received eight Grammys, the top prize in the US music industry and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Mitchell has said she suffers from an ailment called Morgellon's disease, which is described as a crawling, biting or stinging sensation all over the body.

The medical diagnosis of the disease is disputed by some doctors who call it a form of psychosis.